There are times in our lives when we have to do what we have to do. I remember times I was moved by God to pursue something. I had procrastinated for a while but now was the time to respond. Are there things that God is moving us to do, but we refuse to listen? Responding to God’s prompting will bring us the greatest blessing. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We all have things that we want to accomplish in life. We set goals for ourselves. As we get older and the time shortens we call it a bucket list. Things I want to do before I kick the bucket. But have we considered what God has planned for us?

We all have dreams, things that we look forward to. If we don’t we should, life needs to be about a journey. We all need a destination for that journey. I am often reminded though, don’t let the destination be the focus, life is best lived along the road on that journey. We can enjoy the milestones that we accomplish on that road, but the journey holds the hidden gems of God’s blessings.

For some of us we let God determine the destination. We also let God determine the steps we take along the road. Why is that? God planned a journey for each of us. He desires for each of us to have a fulfilling and satisfying life. When we follow his plan, He will guide along the right path.

Ephesians 2:10; For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Allowing God to guide our steps takes faith. Deepening our faith is an ongoing process. It takes a lifetime to learn and tune our ear to hear the Spirit’s call. The more we follow, our faith grows deeper and the voice is clearer.

There is a process in learning how to trust God with our lives. Many times when the resistance gets too strong we stop pursuing what God has for us. I want to encourage you the reward is worth the journey. When you look back and see the hand of God on your life and how He carried you through, you start to realize how much He loves us.

Walking the steps of the journey we encounter some decision points, the fork in the road. How we decide to proceed indicates who our faith is in. Allow me to share with you some of the decision points we face.

Priorities- Before every step we take we need to identify priorities. Where do our priorities lie? What is most important and what is least. Many times we have things backwards; we think we are the priority. To experience the journey God has for us the opposite is true. Let me give you a tip; JOY, Jesus, others, you. Having Jesus as our focus and the needs of others before ours aligns our life with God. We will come to realize God is present with us.

Pain and Suffering- No pain, no gain, when we walk with God it will require us to reach beyond our capabilities, we will need to push through the boundaries of pride, ego, fear and regret. We will need to trust God and lean on His strength. His grace is sufficient and perfected in our weakness.

Discouragement- When we move beyond our capabilities it will take some time to develop newer and stronger ones. We need to protect ourselves from discouragement. If we allow discouragement to win it will rob us of the blessings God has for us.

Perseverance- One of the most useful skills God will impart on us is perseverance. We receive this when we overcome all the challenges we face on the journey. We develop this when we rely on faith in God, not sight and our understanding. Perseverance will lead us to the place of blessing. If we persevere we will see the hand of God.

Romans 5:1-5; Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Look at the blessings of walking down the road God lays out for us; Peace, Faith, Joy, Hope and Love! Wow, think about how that will change our life. We desire peace not turmoil. The best life is one with a settled heart. Only God can provide that peace.

To receive it we must trust Him, put our faith in Him. When we do that he joins us along the journey. He is with us. That is the meaning of Joy, God with us. We do need to remember that we become aware of His presence when our priorities and His match. It happens when we are on the same page.

There are times in life we are not on the same page as God and we have trouble finding Him. We wonder, where is God? How come I don’t feel him with me? The problem isn’t God, it is us. We have our priorities mixed up. When we do that God is hard to find.

As we walk with God, we see His plan unfold and experience the blessings He reveals and we experience hope. Hope is confirmation that our faith is in the right place. We have responded in a way that honors God. We are on the right road.

God is good, He has a plan, and that plan will give us hope and a future!

Jeremiah 29:11-13; NLT; For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

The key is to respond to His prompting, putting our trust and faith in Him. Follow His guidance and walk with Him. Seek Him with our whole heart.

Blessings,

Pastor Don